There aren't many village pubs that have played host to bands as eclectic as The Animals, Boomtown Rats, Curiosity Killed The Cat, Atomic Kitten, Damon Albarn and Dub Pistols.

But there aren't many pubs quite like The Pig's Nose.

Just finding this hidden gem in the furthest corner of the South Hams is a mission. I spent 40 minutes negotiating some of Devon's tiniest single track lanes before popping out just before dark on the village green at East Prawle.

It's an ale house that absolutely exudes charm from the outside, surrounded by the welcoming glow of lanterns. Step inside the front door and every nook and cranny is adorned with trinkets and slates, wooden signs and pictures. It's clear that every one has its own story.

The Pig's Nose at East Prawle (Image: Jacqui Merrington)

The pub has been owned by ex-roadie Peter Distin Webber and his wife, Lesley, a former air stewardess, for the past 20 years. Lesley and son Joss came to meet me to tell me about the pub - and how it had come to be a magnet for a whole host of famous names.

I asked Lesley how her and her husband ended up buying the pub.

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"We were drunk," she laughed. "Peter said to me we should go to Hope Cove and as he said it I was looking at the paper and it said pub for sale. It was meant to be. We came here, got drunk and put a bid in."

Up to that point, the couple had run a recording studio together in London, where they'd hosted some of the biggest names of the time, including Bryan Adams, George Michael and even David Bowie.

Behind the bar at the Pig's Nose (Image: Jacqui Merrington)

Peter set about restoring many of the pub's original features and would scour charity shops for trinkets he could add to give it the remarkable character it has today.

The couple have always treated the pub as their own front room.

"When you’ve got a pub it's a lifestyle," said Lesley. "It’s like you live in it and it’s your home and people just come into your home and have a drink with you."

The pub happened to have a large hall at the back and when friend Andy Powell suggested he brought his band, Wishbone Ash, down to play, the couple cobbled together a few beer crates and trestle tables to make a stage and Devon's best-kept secret venue was born.

The music hall at the Pig's Nose (Image: Jacqui Merrington)

Joss brought out a t-shirt that he'd created listing all the bands that had graced the beer-crate stage, which was later built into a more traditional platform for the bands over the years.

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Lesley, 70, had anecdotes for each of them, from the Yardbirds to Peter Tork of the Monkeys, the Bundhu Boys to Boomtown Rats. Many, including Paul Young, who has played solo and with his band, Los Pacaminos, have become close personal friends.

Peter had a stroke a few years ago and with the couple now both in their 70s, they decided to put the gigs on hold and concentrate on running the pub.

The Pig's Nose at East Prawle (Image: Jacqui Merrington)

But when son Joss returned from university, he decided to take a bigger role and step up the music again. The hall is now licensed for 250 people and gigs pull in crowds from miles around - filling the local campsites.

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"Joss came in and he has tremendous vision," said Lesley. "Everything has been upgraded - he built the bar, upgraded the sound system and made it all like this," she added, pointing to the grand hall.

Joss said: "We want it to feel like a living room and we put on bands here that we want to see. I listen to quite a lot of electro swing, I look at the Boomtown line up because they have a lot of up and coming artists.

"We are getting big names in now. We started off small and it has got bigger and bigger."

Behind the bar at the Pig's Nose (Image: Jacqui Merrington)

Their first band in the new hall in 2016 was Atomic Kitten. Lesley and Joss laugh as they tell the story of how they managed to persuade Kerry Katona, Natasha Hamilton and Liz McLarnon to play at the Pig's Nose.

"We stopped the gigs for a bit and then in 2016, we started back up with Atomic Kitten," said Joss. "We were actually trying to get the Vengaboys but they turned out to be a bit too expensive.

"The agent said we could have two members of Atomic Kitten instead. But dad wouldn't accept just two of them - so he insisted on paying for the third to come from his pension money!"

Gigs at the Pig's Nose

Boomtown Rats

Dr Feelgood

Benny Gallagher

The Yardbirds

Chris Jagger (Mick's brother)

Damon Albarn

Paul Young

The Good, The Bad And The Queen

Gaz Mayall (son of John)

Connie Lush

Papa George It's a Beautiful Day

Zoot Money

Geno Washington

Chris Spedding

Steve 'Big Man' Clayton

Never The Bride

The Animals

Ten Pole Tudor

Nashville Teens

Wishbone Ash

Herbie Flowers

Nick The Fish

Jessie Wood (Son of Ronnie)

Jackie Lynton

Peter Tork ('Monkeys')

Terry Reid

Bundhu Boys

Freddie Ansell

Lightning Willy

Dave Dawe Country Joe & Fish

Blair

Curiosity Killed The Cat

8Wendy

Kent Duchaine

Cosmo Jarvis

Judie

Tzuke & Chaz Thorogood

Steve Craadock

Frankie Connolly

Los Pacaminos

The Correspondents

Mad Dog Mcrea

Arthur Brown

Land of the Giants

Atomic Kitten

Molotov Jukebox

Maggie Bell

The Urban Voodoo Machine

PP Arnold

Seth Lakeman

Sound of the Sirens

The Wurzels

Swinging Blue Jeans

JFB

The John Langan Band

Hong Kong Ping Pong

Electric Swing Circus

Jamie Berry

Tankus The Henge

Oh My God, It's The Church!

Dreadzone

Josh Kumra

Pragmatix

Plump DJs

Dutty Moonshine Big Band

Stanton Warriors

Lee Scratch Perry

Dub Pistols

Lesley says she's starting to take a step back from the pub, "I give it up daily," she says. But it's clear it's pretty hard to let go of the place she and Peter have made home.

She shows me around the pub, from Shoe Corner to Politics Corner, through the Snug and the Family area, pointing at all the paintings she's done and the bits and pieces Peter has created around the pub.

When the darts starts a lot of shoes get smashed in Shoe Corner (Image: Jacqui Merrington)

"When there's a band playing it's like everyone in the area comes out," said Joss. "It's a pretty unique atmosphere and the bands love the uniqueness of the venue."

Joss has pulled together a line-up of bands for 2019, including Oh My God, It's The Church!, the Stereo MCs and The Blockheads. Lee Scratch Perry and the Dub Pistols have already played there this year.

Have you been to aa gig at the Pig's Nose. Share your memories with us in the comments below or join the conversation on our Facebook page